Meet n' Greet: The Hell Tournament Commences!
A tavern in hell. Not the most likely place for people to flock to; unless they all really want alchohol. True, taverns are at times places of meeting and getting to know each other, and that was exactly what it was being used for now... though there were some sneaking off to get beer. The tavern was large and spacious; enough so that it could hold at least 100. It was perfect when the numbers of those coming would be within those numbers. True, there was another reason; the people meeting all had something in common. People had been creating teams of five, and honing their skills for the awaited day; the Hell Tournament. It had been agreed that all the teams would first meet at this tavern until called to arena. For now though, only a team composed of people already from Hell sat drinking and talking. Greed and Wrath both sipped their drinks boredly "Hm, well at least that Fukienzeru lady didn't do anything to the bars." Wrath corrects "Technically it is a Tavern, Greed." He shrugs "Whatever. Still, all the other guys aren't here yet and it's getting retarded." Envy closed her eyes in annoyance "Oh stop complaining, will you?" Ryōshi kept quiet in his own thoughts, staring across the Tavern. Kenpachi snored while resting his head on the table. Envy sighed and thought to herself "Why did I even invite these two...? I don't even know them!" Entering the tavern and looking around, Sadow raised a brow casually "Same old, same old. And here I thought Fukienzeru hated everything Bael did to Hell. But oh well." Suddenly, a blast of Lykt blew the door open, revealing a group of five people standing beyond it. Their leader, a man with long red hair, stepped in, followed by the others, and sat down at their own table. Nori turned to Sadow, his own expression one of boredom and angst. "Why do we have to meet everyone here again..? To get to know eachother before we try to kill eachother in an arena? This is retarded... I want to go home..." He whined, kicking the ankle of his team's leader softly. Maybe he would care to the boy's wishes? Following Team Khajānēsē, was a group consisting of one Shinigami, and four Arrancar. "It's times like this when I wish I was an alcoholic...." muttered the tall one. All of them sat down at a table in one of the corners and ordered some hot tea, "Soon...everything will be in place." the masked man muttered to himself. At the table of Team Khajānēsē, a man in a captain's haori with "san" on the back scoffed at Nori's cravenness, while the red-haired one looked at the newcomers with interest. "Raian Getsueikirite... Of all the times you could have reappeared, you made a most dramatic choice," he muttered under his breath, directing it so no one but Raian could hear. Raian turned his head, thinking that he heard his name, but shook it off, continuing to brief his teammates on the upcoming battles, all the while sipping his tea. In another section of the room, there was a five-man team sitting cross-legged on the floor. Like Harbinger, they had all decided (Even Nnoitra) to drink some tea. Out of all of them, only Nnoitra wasn't wearing an Espada-like outfit, but rather an army-like attire. This way, they wouldn't dare call him "Spoonhead". As the four were talking and laughing, Senkaku was looking over the other teams. Upon seeing Nori, he scowled a little, remembering the confrontation they had. But it lightened up upon seeing the members of Team Harbinger once again. This would be quite interesting. Harribel caught sight of Nnoitra and scowled, turning back to her tea. Starrk, upon noticing this looked comically afraid, "You know what...I think I'm gonna go find me some wine..." he whispered to Raian and got up to go do just that. Raian chuckled from under his mask. Ulquiorra and Baraggan were clearly not amused, but both had different reasons. Ulquiorra just didn't find anything funny, and Baraggan was a snob so it wouldn't have mattered to him anyways. Thoughts were cut off by the sound of a door opening, and footsteps as five more people entered the building. In front was a man with long dark hair with eyes to match wearing a longcoat of black. His eyes were calm, and other than his hands that were placed in pockets at his side, he seemed unarmed; not even a sword could be seen, which even his long coat wouldn't be able to conceal. Following behind was a lady wearing what could be both taken as battle garb, or a fashion statement; wearing attire completely made up of black and white. Like the man in front, she too was carrying no weapons. The three behind them were carrying weapons however; easily identified as shinigami by the traditional attire. Each carried a blade with them in sheathes. Together the five walked over and sat down at a table; as they did the man in front glanced casually around the room and all whom were within. His eyes carefully glided over Team Harbinger; stopping for only a brief moment at the masked man whom had his back to them, before continuing with his quick survey and sat down. The team ordered a variety of refreshments; ranging from iced tea to soda. As they began to drink, they began chatting in low voices. And yet, another one made their appearance. This time, Senkaku decided to take no notice of it, as well as the other teammates. Ggio, however, was looking over Team Harbinger with a rather pondering expression. He turned towards Nnoitra. "Hey, aren't they your friends?" He commented lightly, raising both eyebrows slightly. This made Nnoitra look over at him, scowling. "I mean, I would've figured you'd be sitting over there and chatting with them in the time we have. I know I will..." With that, the Fraccion got up and dusted himself off, holding his tea in one hand. "Oh, going to bow to your precious Barragan-sama again?" Nnoitra taunted. However, Ggio took no notice of it... or rather, he decided to ignore it for the moment. With a Sonido, he vanished and re-appeared at the group's side. Feeling relaxed in Barragan's presence, he took a curt bow out of respect. "Good to see you again... Espada-sama." He said politely. Baraggan looked over, this time with great surprise, "Ggio! Well would you look at that! You managed to survive too." he exclaimed in his old, scratchy voice. "I see you brought that repugnant Nnoitra Jiruga along with you. It's almost like a class reunion." he stated. "It would appear that way, wouldn't it?" Ulquiorra inputed, speaking up. "Repu--" Immediately, that brought Nnoitra's attention to the group. He immediately appeared beside the group, scowling. "All this time, and you still have a mouth on you, old man..." He said vehemently, looking over at the rest of the top Espada. "But I guess the class reunion thing's right on the mark..." His snake-like eye was narrowed. "Other than that, how's it been?" Though his words were conversational, his tone held the cockiness it always had - a trait that never seemed to fade. Ggio himself scoffed, taking a sip of his own tea. Sadow turned to Nori with a comically annoyed look "What are you, eight?" Suddenly, a figure appeared through the door that made Sadow's eyes widen and his blood boil. His brother smirked while Sloth leaned against a wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed casually. Onoskelis and Dareba stood side-by-side, ready for any trouble that would come their way. And finally, Team Dreadnaught's enigmatic leader entered and grinned at the denizens of the room "The pig pen smells as usual." His grin fades when he sees Sadow and Akihiro staring each other down. He glances between them and grins again "You two look alike. Are you related?" Returning to the reunion of Espada, Baraggan slammed his hands down on the table, causing quite a ruckus, "Old man?! Arrancar don't have ages! This is just how I look!" he shouted back at Nnoitra. Harribel glared at the two of them, "Will the two of you shut it! You're gonna draw unwanted attention..." she stated in her usual calm voice, though she was clearly annoyed. Ulquiorra broke into the fighting, ignoring his comrades and adressing Nnoitra, "Probably the same it's been for you. A lot of training and coming to this tournament to get revenge on one man...Aizen Sōsuke. But other than that, I think I've finally found some comrades." he explained, speaking philosophically as always. Starrk returned with a bottle of wine, "Well if it isn't Spoon-san..." he said, clearly drunk. "Welcome back...and here I thought we wouldn't be seeing you again until the fighting started." Nnoitra looked on at Barragan, snickering at the reaction he had gotten. Ah, it was so fun to screw with the old guy. He looked over at Harribel. "Too late for that..." He drawled. "You have former fighters in the Winter War as part of the competition. Don't ya think that's already gonna draw enougg "unwanted attention"?, Blondie?" Then, when his eyes drifted towards Ulquiorra. "And what's this I hear? Aizen's here? I thought he would've been long gone by now..." Ggio looked at Starrk in an almost embarrassed manner. "Primera-sama, that's a rather... undignified manner, don't you think?" He questioned lightly, raising an eyebrow. Harribel ignored him and continued with her tea. Ulquiorra then answered Nnoitra, "Yes. Both Aizen and Gin are here on two separate teams. What possessed someone to invite them is beyond me..but I'm not complaining." Ulquiorra replied. "Yeah..." butted in Baraggan. "It's about time someone put him in his place!" Raian finished his tea, and finally spoke up, "The matches will be starting soon. You all may very well get to achieve your goals very soon. Don't waste it by arguing amongst yourselves. Enjoy your reunion with your comrades." Starrk finally chimed in, "Perhaps...but I don't like fighting, especially not without Lilynette. So I need some form of pick me up to get me going, right?" Starrk replied throwing away the bottle. "Besides, I don't stay drunk long." Nnoitra snickered. "You call this arguin'? You got no idea what you're talking about..." Promptly, he took a seat at the table, folding his hands behind his head. "Don't worry, geezer. I'm sure time can beat illusion, right? 'Sides, I'd like to wipe that smile off of that foxface, wouldn't you all? Though..." The cocky look was replaced by a more thoughtful one, though it still held his "Nnoitra"ish look. "Speaking of that... what the hell made you guys come to this? Aren't you supposed to be the calm, receptive, and composed geniuses that don't fight unless provoked to? Yet, I see you joinin' this party on your own free will. Your pacifism must be slipping..." "Lillynette?" Ggio's mind flashed back to the rather cheerful and childish Fraccion. "What happened to her, anyway?" He questioned, using his finger to scratch under his nose. "She's usually around beating you because you fall asleep most of the time." Starrk narrowed his eyes solemnly, "She sacrificed herself trying to keep me alive in the fake Karakura Town." he explained. Ulquiorra then responded to Nnoitra, "We all have reasons other than fighting. Baraggan needed to get stronger so that he could retake Las Noches, Harribel-sama wanted to become stronger and liked our leader's sacrificial nature, Starrk-sama wanted to find comrades, and I too wanted to learn the meaning of comradeship. That is the true reasons behind our coming here with this man. Fighting Aizen was simply a bonus." A burst of spiritual pressure filled the air, catching the attention of many of the teams. One of the participating teams had then entered, a young man as their leader, accompanied by his teammates. Two were note-worthy from the start; the infamous Kamui, slayer of his own people; and Seireitou Kawahiru, known as one of the strongest around. Many received cold glares from the others, none more than the two mentioned earlier. Seireitou drew a comic annoyed look, "Ugh... well, looks like we're quite welcomed here." he sarcastically put. However, soon after, another of the teams entered through the doors. Team Yumehira and Team Amida shared glares toward eachother, Yūryaku toward Seiwa, and Suzaku toward Seireitou. Raian, still masked turned his attention towards the newcommers, "So...he finally arrives..." he mumbled to himself. Stirring himself again, Josho smiled as he saw Seireitou and Kamui. "If you had asked me back when Kamui assaulted Soul Society, I would have said those two would never be on the same team." "Eh?" That immediately drew Nnoitra's gaze, as well as Ggio's, towards the new teams, particularly the stronger forces in front of them. Senkaku himself looked up in surprise, and was unable to keep the feeling of familiarity from reaching into him. "Was this the guy that Seikai was talking about...?" He thought to himself, pondering... Seireitou's eyes drifted along the other teams, until the notice of Aizen's previous top four Espada pique his attention. "That reiatsu... it couldn't be... Raian...?" he thought to himself. Kamui stepped up to the bar, awaiting service. Seiwa smirked, "Boy Kamui-sempai, I didn't picture you as a drinker, hahahaha." he joked. Raian glared at his old friend from underneath his mask, "It won't be long before he figures out it's me. I may have changed a lot in eight years, but not that much." he thought silently. Harribel, Ulquiorra, and Starrk all had their eyes on him as well. "So, he is the reason you came here?" Ulquiorra asked. Raian sighed, "Yes...one of them." he replied quietly. While Satoru shifted his gaze to the newcomers, Sadow and Akihiro didn't stray from each other's glare. Akihiro began "How are things, Kasu-chan?" Sadow's eyes faltered in pure hatred "After all that has happened you honestly expect me to speak casually with you?" Akihiro smirks in reply "Still as irritable as always." Satoru smirked at Seireitou "You're Reiatsu is tremendous. Would your name happen to be Kawahiru Seireitou by chance?" Seireitou eyed the man known as Satoru, "Well, it ain't Lucy, if that's your second guess." he mused playfully. Walking into the bar, a team of five female Arrancars. Looking the bar over, they made their way to their table. Isabella Peleira the team leader, her form sliding into her chair, followed by closing her eyes to drown out the noisy ambiance of the tavern. The other three, Fuerte, Tristeza and Bailarin all took their spots as well. Nacido Soñador eyed the place, looking over each member of each team, eyeing and weighing the odds, looking for a certain Arrancar in particular. Finding him, a smile came across her face, walking over to Team Ningensei, Nacido glanced to Melina and the former Quinta, Nnoirita Jiruga. "Umm, hey Jiruga." she waved to the entire group, her ruse of no emotion gone now that she was out of view of her own team. Glad to see the man. This caused Nnoitra to shift his eyes away from the new groups and gave Nacido a two-fingered salute, informal, but still respectful. Immediately, Melina herself to a liking to waving back at the team! "Good to see you've made it, Naci-chan!" She said cheerfully. Though the Arrancar surpressed her emotions, Melina was under no such oppression to do the same with hers. Satoru walked over to him with his hands in his pockets, eyeing Seireitou's chest as if there was a sweet treat inside of it. When he reached him he looked up at him and grinned "Tell me, Kawahiru Seireitou, what is desire to you?" Smirking, Seireitou answered with his own grin. "Desire? Now, you know I'm not gay, right?" he mused, making light of his serious attempts. Satoru retorted "I heard your whore passed away recently. How sad, I never got to meet her." Sadow's eyes widened as did Envy's, Greed's, and Wrath's. Satoru was making extremely challenging declarations. Josho's eyes widened along with the rest. Seireitou's been joking around, but that might get him angry... He eased his sword in its scabbard, and half stood up, preparing for a possible bar fight. His team followed suit. "Why you..." Seireitou began, about to start a pre-lims of his own in a second. However, the tension shattered as a buxom young woman, holding a mic entered the room. "Uhh..." she felt alittle overwhelmed by the auras being emitted. "I'd like all participating teams to arrive to the Tournament stadium, please." Arriving at the Stadium: The Tournament Kicks Off! Team Harbinger was the first team to follow her through, "Let's rock." Raian said silently to his team as the exited the bar to the stadium. Team Ningensei was the second to arrive. However, they seemed to take their time, walking through the entrance. It wasn't exactly a big rush... sooner or later, they would be fighting it out/going through test, either way. All five of him walked in a single file line as they made their way through. Nnoitra, however, stopped for a moment to look at the woman who had just came in, abruptly fired off the word "Slut", and followed his team. Team Zealot was the fourth to arrive, making their way to the stadium, Tristeza smirking as she glanced to the announcer. Allowing them to bask in the stadiums visage, Isabella took a deep inhale, enjoying the thought of testing her strength. Bailarin, Nacido, and Fuerte would all look around, wondering what bodies would be stacked high soon enough. Let the blood bath begin. ''Tristeza smirked, this was going to be fun. Following close behind the others was Team Khajānēsē, in an order of Josho, Fellibylur Dýrið, Andlaust Klikkaður Mýgrútur, Ken'omaru Imikirau, and finally Rēśama Viśvāsa.Josho smirked as they entered, flaring his Reiatsu. Team Yumehira had then arrived, Kamui was pondering where Seireitou's attention was. He then whispered to his younger brother under his breath, "What are you looking at? That masked guy?" he questioned. Seireitou shook his head, whispering back, "Nah. That announcer's got a nice ass." he answered, causing Kamui's eyes to narrow comically. ''"Of course..." Team Amida following Yumehira from behind, Suzaku's eyes fixated on his father. "I will crush you... and regain that which you failed to protect..." he pondered to himself. The rest of the teams enter the stadium where Fukienzeru sits atop her throne overviewing the arena. She smirks down at them and rises "Welcome, warriors from across the worlds, to either your greatest achievement or your downfall." She walked down the steps to get a better view of the combatants "You all look promising and I doubt there will be anyone here who won't give it their all. Although, against my better judgement, I must ask that you all pray to whatever you may worship now as things may get a little... intriguing out in the battle." Sadow, ignoring the presence of the one he hates the most, kneels before Fukienzeru and kisses her hand gently "Well then I hope, being a former denizen of Hell, you will be on my side, milady." Fukienzeru blushed and smiled lightly "What a gentleman. I suppose Bael didn't conjure up as much trash as I had thought." Sadow retorted "Bael didn't conjur me, milady, he just lowered me." Meanwhile, Onoskelis stiffened a bit when Sadow had kissed Fukienzeru's hand. Satoru noticed this and smirks "The circus freak jealous of her handler's attention?" Normally, Onoskelis would lash out at this but the remark hurt her enough to silence her. She simply looked on distantly. Raian smiled under his mask upon seeing Seireitou gawking at the announcer, "Still as leacherous as always, eh Sei?.." he thought to himself. He then silently prayed to his God, just as the hostess had suggested. Harribel and Starrk bowed their heads with him, praying out of respect for their comrade. Ulquiorra watched on, trying to understand what all this prayer nonsense was about. Baraggan simply refused to pray, believing that he was the only one who should be prayed to. The announcer, Koyuki, then spoke into the mic. "Aaaaalright! Now that all the teams are here-" she was then interupted by a messenger. She nodded as the messenger left, "It seems we are still waiting for one more team. Team Yukara hasn't not yet arri-" she was interrupted once more, as a massive green tornado spiraled center-stage, emitting massive amounts of spiritual pressure. Yukara, former leader of Hell, along with his teammates, had then arrived. "I'm very sorry for our late arrival, fellow participants." he apologized. Fukienzeru's eyes widened in surprise "Y-You...!" Sadow and the rest looked at the man aimlessly, some not knowing who he was. Medy Kiwisawa, Matsuro Kuragari, Ongar Nemutai, and Eikichiro Saido all flashstepped to Koyuki. Team Preserver arrived. Medy sighed, "Gah. Does this mean we are late?" Koyuki gave a blank stare, "No." Medy clapped his hands, "Oh goodie!" Medy then turned to the Espadas that were here. Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Tia, Ulquiorra, etc. Medy turned, "Lookie here! Heh heh. The Praying Mantis guy is here! YES!! With him here then we will win for sure!!" Matsuro sighed, "Medy, Nnoitra Jiruga is one of the strongest Espada..." Medy shrugged, "Meh. Now everybody had arrived, and Koyuki raised her arm, winking to everyone. "Let the Hell Tournament Begin!" she announced, as the starting fireworks shot into the sky. (NOTE TO ALL USERS: This means the tournament has now began. You may start your respective fights whenever you wish. Please start the article's name with "Phrase: Team Whatever vs Team Whoever" and start it off with Koyuki annoucing the teams that are fighting. Any questions, please ask me. Good luck everybody!)